Air New Zealand says it is talking with the Government about a possible extension of time to get people back home during lockdown, particularly from Queenstown.
The country moved into Alert Level 4 lockdown on Tuesday at 11.59pm after a Covid-19 community case of the Delta variant was confirmed in a man in Devonport, Auckland.
Kiwis not at their usual place of residence were given 48 hours to get home - a window set to close at midnight tonight.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran told RNZ this morning that many thousands of people were carried yesterday, and 15,000 were being moved today.
Queenstown was probably the "key pinch point", he said, and the airline was having discussions with the Government about whether it might be possible to fly some of those people back tomorrow.
Ideally, Air New Zealand would like an extension through to early evening on Friday to get people home from Queenstown, he said.
"I think we could probably clear most of that tomorrow."
It was thought about 600 people were affected, Foran said. "We're doing everything we can."
Extra Queenstown flights
In a media statement this morning, the Queenstown Airport Corporation said Air New Zealand and Jetstar had added 10 extra flight movements (five arrivals and five departures) to their schedules to enable more people to fly out of the resort today.
QAC operations and safety general manager Mike Clay said it had been working with the airlines to facilitate travel for those wanting to get home within the 48-hour window.
"Additional flights are operating out of Queenstown today, and the airlines have upgauged aircraft where possible.
"However, we know that there is more demand than capacity available today, so there will be people in Queenstown and surrounds who are effectively stuck if repatriation flights are not able to operate after the cut-off this evening.”
Wanaka Airport has no scheduled services today.
NZ Herald Wellington business editor Hamish Rutherford is trying to get home to Wellington from Queenstown, but says there are no flights available within the Government's grace period. Their original flight had been booked for Sunday.
"We're booked on the first flight we could get a booking on … from Queenstown to Wellington on Friday but we just don't know if that plane will be allowed to take off. We're just waiting to see if Air New Zealand can get an extension to fly out of Queenstown for another day or two."
If they were still unclear on whether they could depart Queenstown on Friday, Rutherford said they may have to drive the five hours to Christchurch in the hope of getting on a flight there today.
Air New Zealand said when the grace period ends it will adjust its domestic schedule in line with alert level 4 restrictions nationwide.
The airline would operate a limited domestic scheduled to allow for essential travel only, from Friday, August 20 to Tuesday, August 24.
It said customers booked to travel on Friday would receive a cancellation email, and their bookings held in credit.
"During alert level 4, travel is restricted to essential services only," said an update from the airline.
"Customers who are travelling should check they are eligible to travel under alert level 4 on the Government's Covid-19 website.
"These customers will also need to carry a letter to prove they are travelling for essential services."
It included two daily return services between Christchurch and Wellington, and one between Wellington and Nelson.
Until Saturday there would be one daily return service between Wellington and Auckland, and from Saturday this would drop down to just four times a week.
From Saturday there would be just one return service between Auckland and Wellington, four days a week.
- Reporting by NZ Herald, RNZ and Guy Williams
